Feb 9 (FT) The SJB downplayed discussions with the UNP but said it will begin talks soon with likeminded parties to strengthen the Opposition. SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said that no official discussions had taken place with the UNP to attempt working together, despite numerous reports. �There have not been any direct talks with the UNP. However, we are willing to listen to what all Opposition parties have to say. more..

Feb 9 (DM) No special request has been made so far by Prez and PM to receive the anti-COVID-19 vaccination jabs and they will receive it next month when the govt begins vaccinating those above 60 years. Despite Speaker making a request to health authorities to consider vaccinating MPs and Parliamentary staff, after 7 MPs and some staff members were infected with the coronavirus last month, there has still been no word from the health authorities if this request will also be granted. more..

Feb 9 (AD) The body of the camper who went missing at the Little World�s End last Sunday has been recovered by the SL Army rescuers. A 34-year-old man from Maggona, Kalutara had gone missing during a camping trip at the Little World�s End in Horton Plains. A group of trippers, along with the missing man, had camped with a near Little World�s End to spend the night on Feb 6. During the night, he had left the camping area to go to their vehicle claiming that it was too cold. more..

Feb 9 (DM) Folks in Ginigathhena are concerned because a junior politician of the Ambagamuwa PS is causing harm to the environment through one of his questionable activities. It is reported that lumps of earth have been removed from a construction site ignoring recommendations by environment authorities; thus causing concerns about possible landslides in the area. A development project should be implemented with proper more..

Feb 9 (EN) Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka said that a record 176 German companies have pledged their commitment to SL�s market. �We are very proud that finally -despite the Covid-19 pandemic- 176 German brands have joined Top German Brands 2021, which is an increase of 13 per cent compared to last year,� Andreas Hergenr�ther, Chief Delegate of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka said at the launch of the Top German Brands 2021. more..

Feb 9 (DM) After the detection of 878 COVID-19 positive cases yesterday, the positive cases rate has crossed 7.2% mark for the first time in Sri Lanka, GMOA said. Addressing the media GMOA Editor Dr. Haritha Aluthge said 12,145 PCR tests were carried out yesterday. "The COVID positive rate was at 3% before January and became 6% in January and now it has gone passed 7% within a few days," he said. "Every PCR test done in the country reveal nearly 7 - 8 COVID-19 positive patients on daily basis. more..

Feb 9 (Island) Newly appointed Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) Janaka Ratnayake said that he did not think electricity tariffs should be increased. Ratnayake said that as a business owner he felt that Sri Lankans have already paid enough for electricity. �This is not a time to increase tariffs. We are reeling from COVID-19. There are 6.5 million households that use electricity; that�s 99% of Sri Lankans. more..

Feb 9 (CT) Colombo Fort Chief Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage yesterday ordered six persons including ex-Minister and former UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake, SJB MP Nalin Bandara and ex-MP Ajith P. Perera, to be released from the case filed against them on a charge of illegal entry to the SLPA premises seven years ago. The other 3 persons who were ordered to be released from the case were a former head of the JSS and a member of the Director Board of SLPA, Udeni Kaluthanthri, more..

Feb 9 (AD) A Sub-Inspector attached to Monaragala Police Station has fallen victim to COVID-19 virus, says Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana. He was admitted to Monaragala Hospital due to heart disease on the 3rd of February and was later transferred to Kandy National Hospital for further treatment. A recent PRC test has confirmed that the 59-year-old police officer was positive for novel coronavirus. This is reportedly the first COVID-19 related death reported from Sri Lanka Police. more..

Feb 9 (EN) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa ought to hold some high office within the ruling SLPP while PM Mahinda Rajapaksa continues to lead the party, Minister of Industries Wimal Weerawansa said. Weerawansa refused to retract a remark he had made to a Sinhala-langue weekly last Sunday that Prez Rajapaksa must lead the SLPP. His comment drew the ire of SLPP General Secretary MP Sagara Kariyawasam who more..

Feb 9 (AD) A married couple, who were in hiding after testing positive for Covid-19, has been apprehended at Pothuatawana area in Koswatte. The husband has been admitted to Dankotuwa Hospital while the wife was directed to Marawila Hospital for treatment. They were taken into custody in a special operation carried out by the Koswatte Police acting on a tip-off given by the health authorities. The husband, identified as a 25-year-old resident of Hendala area in Wattala, more..

Feb 9 (DM) 18 inmates who were involved in the Mahara Prison riot, have been sentenced to two months in prison today by the Prison Tribunal. The accused were produced before the Prison Tribunal in accordance with Sections 271 to 276 of the Prisons Statutes for offences committed by inmates within a prison compound. Among the offences committed by an inmate under Sections 78 and 81 (I) a, of the Prisons Ordinance were, rioting in prison, disobedience to prison officers, more..

Feb 9 (DM) All schools in the Western Province (WP) will re-open on February 15 with the approval from Health Services Director General, Education Minister G.L Pieris today announced. Accordingly, 412 schools out of 492 in the WP will reopen on February 15. The remaining 80 schools will be opened on March 15 with the commencement of the new schools term, he said. "During the past five days, more..

Feb 9 (CT) The Govt has not made any attempt to bring back from India Pulatini Rajendran alias Sara Jasmine, who is said to have fled the country after the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake claimed. He said, several witnesses who testified before the PCoI into the Easter Sunday bombings in 2019 have requested that Sara be summoned before the Commission to testify, but the Govt did not make any effort to bring her back. more..

Feb 9 (CT) The actions of Tamil political parties in the Opposition, that engaged in a protest walk from Pottuvil, Ampara to Polikandi, Vadamarachchi North, Jaffna, will only strengthen the Govt, Minister Douglas Devananda said. Minister also said that such a protest march will not strengthen the rights of the Tamils. Making a veiled reference to the LTTE and to the Opposition Tamil parties, he said that while those who opposed Provincial Councils had no vision and though those who accepted, more..

Feb 9 (FT) The Govt has suspended the surcharge on import of fuel as relief to loss-incurring Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the listed Lanka IOC PLC, though there won�t be a change in prices at retail level. Surcharges applicable were Rs. 20 per litre of Petrol 95, 12 per litre of Auto Diesel and Rs. 30 per litre of Super Diesel. The suspension has been ordered by Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and more..

Feb 9 (TM) OREL Corporation officially unveiled its newest, innovative venture recently, the opening of their second OrelBuy unmanned store at the Makumbura Multimodal Centre (MMC), which is the first ever multimodal centre in the country, according to the company. The store was ceremoniously opened by Prez Rajapaksa along with the presence of State Minister Dilum Amunugama, and Minister of Transport Gamini Lokuge, along with OREL Managing Director Kushan Kodituwakku. more..

Feb 9 (EN) SL fiction writer Shakthika Sathkumara, who was in pre-trial detention for months over a controversial short story, was discharged today the Attorney General�s spokesperson Nishara Jayaratne confirmed. The author�s release comes with days left for the UNHRC sessions. In May last year, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said the Govt of SL was in contravention of its international human rights obligations for Sathkumara�s pre-trial detention. more..

Feb 9 (EN) SL govt is yet to officially tell India and Japan that it is withdrawing from trilateral agreement that was signed regarding the East Container Terminal of Colombo of the SLPA. Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that the Foreign Ministry has not yet officially announced to India and Japan that SL is going to pull out of the deal. �There were agreements in 2017 and 2019 and there were certain dialogues and exchange of more..

Feb 9 (AD) The Fundamental Rights petition against the controversial statement made by former deputy minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman, pertaining to the killing of Sri Lankan army soldiers, was withdrawn today (9). FR petition in question, filed by former Kaduwela Municipal Council member Boseth Kalahepathirana, was taken up before a three-judge bench of Appeals Court consisting of Judges L.T.B. Dehideniya, Murdu Fernando and Achala Wengappuli. more..

Feb 9 (EN) Sri Lanka�s health ministry has denied speculation that there is a shortage of intensive care unit (ICU) beds to treat COVID-19 patients. Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr Hemantha Herath told reporters yesterday that only 27 out of 147 ICU beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients are currently occupied. Out of 11, 443 regular beds reserved for COVID-19 patients at 42 govt hospitals and 37 temporary treatment centres, he said, currently only 6,837 are occupied. more..

Feb 9 (EN) Co-Cabinet Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella confirmed that the SL govt has received complaints from the Indian Govt over the power projects handed to China on islands in the sea close to the Indian coast. He said that those power projects were already approved and the complaints will be looked into and discussed in detail with relevant authorities. The Sunday Times reported that India has lodged a strong protest with SL more..

Feb 9 (AD) A special meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers will be called to discuss the recommendations of the final report submitted by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on Easter attacks. Cabinet of Spokesperson Minister Keheliya Rambukwella announced this during the media briefing held this morning (9) to announced Cabinet decisions. The report has not been taken up during the recent Cabinet meeting, he said in response to a question raised by a media person. more..

Feb 9 (EN) Attorney General has issued instructions to the Police Department to complete investigations into grave crimes and drug offences within three months. In a letter sent to IGP Chandana Wickramaratna the AG Dappula de Livera said delays in investigations is not bringing justice to the people. The delays mean that witnesses and victims suffer and the accused does not get a fair trial. These results indicate that our justice system is inefficient and not working. more..

Feb 9 (Island) There was a plan to clear a swath of the Manampitiya-Yakkure forest for road development through the Flood Plains National Park and some local politicians were going all out to fell trees, a senior official of the Dept of Wildlife Conservation said. Senior environmentalists also said that they hoped Prez Rajapaksa would intervene to prevent the destruction of the forest. Prez over the weekend refused to endorse more..

Feb 10 (CT) The five day march from the eastern town of Pottuvil to the northern capital of Jaffna, given the name P2P-Pottuvil to Polikandi march, came to a peaceful end having made its point to the people of the north and east and to the international community. The culmination of the march in Jaffna saw large crowds participating. But the point was largely lost in the rest of the country where the focus of attention was on other matters such as Independence Day celebrations. more..

Feb 10 (GV) Transitional justice process in SL has come to a grinding halt. Reconciliation between the majority and minority communities has never before seemed such a distant dream as the govt goes out of its way to create fear, distrust and polarisation in its determination to consolidate power. From 2015 to 2019, the previous govt made a few attempts to give life to some of the four pillars of process but it was slow to follow up and even the mechanisms that exist today are lagging far behind in their more..

Feb 10 (Roar) According to WHO, about 2-4% of people with disabilities�who comprise nearly 15% of the world�s population�live in debilitating conditions. To exclude over a billion people would seem ludicrous to most, but unfortunately, that is the situation many people with disabilities face. Women are already fighting for equality in the education and employment spheres, and this struggle is only further exacerbated for more..

Feb 10 (CT) Wages Board on Monday approved a daily wage of Rs 900 for plantation workers and another Rs 100 which will be paid to them by the Govt of SL (GoSL). Such uplift is an assurance that the estate (plantation) worker�s daily takings would amount to a minimum of Rs 1,000. This minimum Rs 1,000 daily wage would impact 24 of the 26 regional plantation companies (RPCs) involved in both rubber and tea. However, the new minimum daily wage (MDW) has no impact on the balance more..

Feb 10 (CT) Speculation is still rife in the Third World as to which way would the American dice be loaded, now that there is a new tenant in the White House. SL�s seems to be the test case for all, and the UNHRC is the set venue/avenue for testing the same. The US� domestic policy is said to have changed with the exit of President Donald Trump and the entry of Joe Biden in his place. It�s not just about the purported political ideology, but even more about the change of personalities that more..

Feb 10 (CT) Plastics break down into millions of small particles over time, and it is no surprise that it stays in the soil forever. Even though it is evident that plastics can no longer be completely removed from the natural world, the govt�s moves to ban single-use and short-term plastics including cotton buds and inflatable toys from 31 March should be applauded. Once the ban comes into effect, traders will be given a grace period to more..

Feb 10 (ST) The loud cry of the port workers today backed by the shadow political economy, echoes the misconceptions around the landlord system of port management. The error is not with the port workers who seem to believe in their cry simply because they have been repeatedly misled. What is regrettable is that, it is only the port workers who seem to show an interest in this matter of national importance. This is because a port providing services to both domestic and int'l trade should have more than just its more..

Feb 10 (FT) As Sri Lanka celebrated the 73rd Independence anniversary with much pride, her economic status has remained unimpressive in many fronts for decades, in spite of the initial social progress that was achieved in terms of health, education and social welfare, far ahead of many developing countries. The policies adopted by the successive govts since independence have had much do with this economic plight. The country�s longstanding economic fallout is compounded more..

Feb 10 (Island) Just about a year or so into the coronavirus pandemic, the thing that is in everyone�s mind, as well as in their hearts and souls, is the COVID-19 vaccine that is thought to be one of the answers to the problem. The disease has taken a frightful toll. Many have died and scores of others have suffered immeasurably, directly as well as indirectly. Many countries are in shambles and most of us are wondering as to what would come next. As at present, there are several vaccines that more..

Feb 10 (Island) Never a dull day in Parliament! Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa crossed swords yesterday. Premadasa demanded to know why Bank of Ceylon had granted a pledge loan to the tune of Rs. 3.1 billion to a company owned by a person connected to the govt, for stockpiling fags. Claiming that the bank had followed proper procedure in granting the loan, Minister Cabraal asked Premadasa why the latter had been silent when the same bank more..

Feb 10 (TM) The lack of employing post-harvest technology, to process and store excess food that is produced during a bountiful harvest, has once again put the SL consumer in a tight spot, as the prices of vegetables and fruits have skyrocketed this week. Just 3 months ago, farmers were lamenting the inability to sell their produce even at the lowest price possible, as the wholesale marketplaces and special economic centres more..

Feb 10 (Reuters) SL's govt bonds tumbled on Tuesday as warnings that the country was at increasing risk of default continued to mount after a turbulent couple of weeks for Colombo. SL's bonds due for repayment between 2022 and 2028 fell around 2 cents on the dollar, leaving those maturing beyond 2025 US85227SAQ93=TE at roughly 60 cents or 40% below their face value and a level that signifies rising default fears. Govt's failure to extend a $400 billion currency swap line with India more..

Feb 10 (CT) The often repeated advice given by foreign policy wizards to smaller countries who have become un-willing victims of power rivalry is to understand the reality of geopolitics. SL, a country that burnt its fingers once for ignoring geopolitics, is well aware of bitter realities and is always eager to come to an understanding with regional and global powers, while zealously guarding its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. SL�s gratitude to friends was well displayed at the simple, more..

Feb 10 (TM) As the SARS-CoV-2 virus, or Covid-19, mutates, new variants of the virus are identified globally. Some of these variants were also detected in SL in January. Apart from the Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit of the Uni of Sri J'pura, Genelabs Medical, a private sector genetic testing laboratory in SL, has also detected mutations in the SARS-CoV2 virus. To inquire about their findings, The Morning spoke to more..